We photographed this 1984 Renault 5 GTL Lauréate behind a busy industrial zone. First-gen Renaut 5s are few and far between, but the Lauréate model is particularly noteworthy because it was only offered in 1984 to mark the car’s final year on the market Continue reading »
Renault’s British division launched the limited-edition 14 Regency in 1981. Based on the range-topping TS model, the Regency was billed as an upmarket hatchback that came loaded with standard equipment and extra accessories. Visually, the Regency stood out from regular 14 models thanks to a dark red paint job (paint code 721) and two contrasting … Continue reading »
The European hot hatch market had started its decline in the early 1990s but it still had plenty of momentum. 1991 was a good year: Volkswagen had just launched the controversial third-gen GTI, the Peugeot 205 GTi was soldiering on in spite of its age and the 309 GTi was going head-to-head against the Renault … Continue reading »
We stopped at a small used car lot not far from Marseille, France, to look at a Renault 14 that had grass growing up to its beltline, but a blue Renault 4CV caught our eye as we pulled in. Parked next to a long-wheelbase w210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class first registered in Monaco, the 4CV is partially … Continue reading »
Car-based vans have been incredibly popular in Europe since the end of World War II. Generally cheaper to buy, register and insure than larger vehicles, these city-friendly vans have been widely used as delivery vehicles, work mules and passenger haulers over the past couple of decades. Almost every automaker has offered one at one point … Continue reading »
The 5 has gone down in history as one of Renault’s biggest success stories. It helped redefine the compact economy car at its launch in 1972 and it stayed ahead of the competition until the early 1980s. The story was admittedly a little different in the North America, where it was re-badged LeCar for a … Continue reading »
This Renault 4 is ending its days in the same ditch as the Renault 4 TL and the Renault 17 TS that we featured last week. It is barely visible from a nearby road, which is what led us to turn around, park the car and go hiking through the woods with a camera in … Continue reading »
This Renault 17 is ending its days in the same ditch as yesterday’s Renault 4 TL. Although worn, the petal-shaped passenger seat and the Vert Algue (paint code 977) color indicate that this is post-facelift TS model built in 1979. Renault 17s are few and far between and stumbling upon one in any shape is … Continue reading »
We hiked for a few minutes to photograph a forlorn 1960s Renault 4 that we’ve known for years, and we were surprised that the ditch it’s in has been cleaned of all of its wild brush. While that certainly helped us take clearer pictures, it also revealed many more cars that we had previously missed. Continue reading »
New cars are getting harder and harder to work on by shade tree mechanics so aftermarket equipment aimed at the average driver often consists of floor mats and car covers. However, a look at 60-year old magazines reveals that aftermarket companies offered a wide range of equipment that enabled owners to almost rebuild their car … Continue reading »
